Before Ione wandered through the Joshua Trees & Desert Sands of California, she went spelunking deep in the underground caves of Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. She would have accessed the park’s only entrance road, New Mexico Highway 7, by turning north off of US Hwy 62/180 at Whites City, New Mexico – which is 16 miles southwest of Carlsbad, NM and 150 miles northeast of El Paso, Texas.

The scenic entrance road stretches 7 miles from the park gate at Whites City (formerly the entrance to Walnut Canyon) to the Visitor Center and cavern entrance (which explains why the card is postmarked Whites City). To make it even more confusing, the address for the park’s Visitor Center is 727 National Parks Highway, Carlsbad, NM, even though it’s located 23 miles from the actual town.

Here we are at the Caverns. You can’t imagine what they are. The most desolate country around here. All well. Everything going fine.

Ione.

Ione would have traveled 1300 miles from Dover, Minnesota to Carlsbad Caverns a year before the new visitor center was built, and one year after Jim White died in Carlsbad, on April 26, 1946 at the age of 63. Did you know April 16th – 24th is National Park week? What is your favorite national park? If you took a visit to Carlsbad Caverns you would find:

During the Summer, the caves are home to 400,000 Brazilian (more commonly called Mexican) free-tail bats [NOTE: To learn more about bats, visit Bats, Beautiful Bats!a piece about bat evangelist Michelle McCaulley who spreads the truth about the benefits of bats and other wildlife. Michelle runs the Rio Grande Basin Bat Project, which was created by her late father, Jim McCaulley.]

Carlsbad Cavern is only one of over 300 limestone caves in a fossil reef laid down by an inland sea 250 to 280 million years ago. The limestone rock that holds Carlsbad Cavern is full of ocean fossil plants and animals from a time before the dinosaurs when the southeastern corner of New Mexico was a coastline similar to the Florida Keys.

Twelve to fourteen thousand years ago, American Indians lived in the Guadalupe Mountains; some of their cooking ring sites and pictographs have been found within the present day boundaries of the park.

Jim White began to explore the cave as a teenager in 1898, using a handmade wire ladder to descend 60 feet into the cave. As an early visitor to Carlsbad Cavern, you might have entered the cave via an old guano mining bucket. In 1901, Abijah Long, a fertilizer expert, realized that guano could be used as a nitrate rich fertilizer. The following year, Long filed a claim for guano mining inside the caverns, and he offered Jim White work as a foreman. In about 20 years, an estimated 100,000 tons of guano were taken from Carlsbad Caverns at as much as $90 a ton. It wasn’t until years later, January 6th, 1912, that New Mexico officially became a state. If you had visited the park in 1928, you may have bumped into Amelia Earhart who gave underground park tours that year.

Though there are many legends and myths about which immigrants first discovered “The Bat Cave” (Native Americans knew of the caves thousands of years before), Jim White spent much of his life trying to convince others of the need for preservation. In October 1923, President Calvin Coolidge declared Carlsbad Caverns a national monument, and Jim White became cavern guide. In 1924, geologist Willis T. Lee explored the caves with White and wrote an article for National Geographic attracting national attention. On February 9th, 1937, Jim White began selling his book Jim White’s Own Story (ghostwritten by Frank Ernest Nicholson) in the cave, and his wife Fanny continued to sell it until her death in 1964.

Teri, well, I might consider it. But I don’t know if Ione rolls off the tongue quite the way Mr. Stripeypants or Kiev does. I did know one person whose mother was named Ione. It’s the only other one I knew. Wait, maybe I did know one relative in Tennessee who was named Ione, too. Make that two people! I hope I get to visit the Badlands some day. It’s not that far from where I live, relatively speaking. Maybe the next time I go to Montana, I’ll take the South Dakota route. It’s a little longer, but we could stop at the Badlands along the way.

I love the name Ione! She is one of the Nymphai (water nymphs), the 50 daughters of Nereus (the old man of the sea). In Greek, it would be pronounced eye-oh-nee. Dropping the third syllable is an English alteration and doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.

‘The Nymphai (or Nymphs in English) were minor nature goddesses which populated the cosmos. Although they were ranked below the gods, they were still invited to attend the assemblies of the gods on Olympus.

The Nymphai presided over various natural phenomena: from springs, to clouds, trees, caverns, meadows, and beaches. They were responsible chiefly for the care of the plants and animals of their domain, and as such were closely associated with the prime gods of nature such as Hermes, Dionysos, Artemis, Poseidon and Demeter.’

Kinda like the Dakinis :-)

I believe one of Saturn’s moons is also called this – the Ione Moon, which is a great name for a tortoiseshell cat ;-) The only Ione I’ve heard of is the daughter of the 70’s pop star Donovan, who, funnily enough, recorded Yeates’, ‘The Song of Wandering Aengus’ (I told Lotus that her poem reminded me of this!)

I named my daughter Iona, not just after the beautiful scottish island, but because it is early Gaelic for ‘yew’ (as in tree). I also have an Isla (my eldest daughter). I named her after ‘Glen Isla’, the place and family farm my husband is originally from. I guess that’s why I like the name Ione so much – it’s kind of similar :-)

BTW, I’m becoming fascinated with your National Parks ever since I read Marylin’s story and looking at Ione’s postcards. Was delighted, and rather proud, to discover that it was a scot, John Muir, who helped establish them. I also came across a beautiful story about the creation of Crater Lake, Oregon. The native Klamath tribe, who call the lake ‘gii-was’ (sacred place), have a mythical, oral description of how it came into being, and which also corresponds perfectly with the scientific dating to nearly 7,700 years ago. I’ll send it to you if I can find it again!

I’m still painting away (actually, make that colouring in!) and enjoying the peace. Hope both you and Liz are well.

QM, Wow, I have learned so much in this post, not only from you but from dear Annie! Thanks to both.
My favorite NP is Yosemite…so awesome! The narrow valley, carved by a glacier eons ago, with walls of granite on either side, comes into view in one breathtaking instant, as you drive around that last switchback. They wisely created a place for people to pull over and park, to take in the remarkable sight. Two weeks ago, I went to a “Telluride film festival,” which was a fundraiser. There were four short documentaries, all on nature. One featured a young man who climbs “rocks” without any devices or aids, not even a rope or pitons or clamps etc.! His greatest feat, so far, which was in the film, was ascending Half Dome in under 3 hours; could hardly believe it!!!
Good name for a cat might be Ione-moon, (pronouncing it the way Annie described, it flows nicely.)
Amelia Erhart was planning to retire from flying and had chosen a site in Wyoming. Her contractor had even poured the foundation. It is in a lovely, secluded place nnot far from here. So sad.
There was a very good documentary on Public TV, on John Muir, recently. There is a small grove of Redwoods, just north of San Francisco, named for him, which I have visited.
(Did I mention this already in a recent post? If so, please forgive me.)

annie and oliverowl, thank you for the amazing comments. I always learn so much from the two of you.

annie, I like the Greek eye-oh-nee better than the English. Your daughters have exotic names. I love that you put so much thought into them. You are a wealth of knowledge and I always love reading your comments. I think I remember reading about the creation of Crater Lake at one point. I used to journey to Oregon quite a bit when I lived in western Montana. Oregon is one of my favorite states. I’m sad to say I have not been back there in years. I seem to stick close to the Midwest and spend vacation days heading East and South to visit family. I hope to make it to Oregon again sometime.

oliverowl, how fun that you went to the film festival! I didn’t know that tidbit about Amelia and Wyoming either. I really hope to visit there with Liz someday and see where you live. You can show me around Wyoming!

Ah, I forgot to mention, I was sick over Easter weekend and haven’t quite gotten my zest back. Still recovering. So I’ve been slow to respond to comments this week. But I am, hopefully, on the mend and back at red Ravine. I appreciate all who have stopped by and kept things lively!

You made me smile – it’s not often knowledge and Annie are found in the same sentence :-) I’m self aware enough to realise that it’s more a case of simple curiosity that drives me, but thank you, you made my day. Also, I have to say, Isla and Iona are very ‘earthy’ scottish names (if you are a scot) than anything like exotic – just, in fact, like my two lassies :-) But, again, thank you, they were both ‘chuffed to the guttie’ when I told them :-) I hope you’re feeling a wee bit better now and I’m so glad that you’re back :-)

Would loved to have watched those documetaries – just my cup of tea (watching, not participating!). I read this about Crater Lake;

‘Native Indians would often start at the western rim of Crater Lake and run down the wall of the crater to the lake. One who could reach the lake without falling was thought to have superior spirit powers…’

Maybe there’s a spiritual side to why the young guy in the documentary did it?

Enjoying finding out all about your NP – thank you for introducing them to me :-)

BTW The moon is on Jupiter and it’s called Io – shows you how knowledgable I am ;-) Although, I still like the name Ione Moon for a cat :-)

I love these earthy Scottish names. What an amazing phrase – chuffed to the guttie! Thank you, I am feeling better. Slept a lot this weekend, too. A friend told me recently that I’m not as young as I used to be, don’t bounce back as quickly. I think she’s right. I am undaunted. Onward! BTW, I totally relate to your unending curiosity. I am the same way. 8)